Grasping Evil

After fusing the power of the Corpse Veins with the Yin Yang Devil Veins, he had met the threshold to cultivate the Corpse Devil Record, starting with the first level of the first realm. Once he get out of the tower, he would find corpses to raise the level of the cultivation technique to unlock the ability of the corpse veins. But his utmost priority now was to form his Nascent Soul！

He recalibrated his thoughts while sitting down, cross-legged. He had been staying within the tower for 130 years already. In his stay, he wasted not even a single second. Now, he finally achieved the required levels for his cultivation techniques and comprehended the five elements of heaven and earth.

He still had 120 years left before he has to leave the tower.

It’s time to start devouring the Heavenly Cold Qi and the Earth Flame!

As a matter of fact, the best time to absorb the power of the Fifth Grade Cold Qi and Spiritual Flame would be after achieving the Spirit Severing Realm. Without the Yin Yang Locket, anyone who tries to devour them below that realm would most likely fail. Even if they succeeded, they would not be able to absorb the full power of the items.

When Ning Fan devoured the Black Devil Flame in the past, he was still just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator. Because of the limitation of his cultivation realm, he was only able to absorb one thousandth of its power. The remaining power the flame possessed then dispersed into the surroundings.

However, things would be different now since he was already at the Peak Gold Core Realm! His current cultivation realm allowed him to take in one twentieth of the total power of the items. In other words, by devouring the two types of Heavenly Cold Qi and an Earth Vein Demonic Flame, he would be able to increase 20 units of his total magic power.

He was blessed with great luck to own a precious artifact such as the Yin Yang Locket. For other cultivators who were at the same realm at him, they might not even have the slightest capability of gaining power from the items.

Besides, the training ground consisted of volcanic mountains and also a land of ice which met the conditions to refine the items.

Once he completes the process, his magic power would become 93 units in total! Forming a Nascent Soul by then would no longer be difficult anymore!

“Nascent Formation! Here I come!” He muttered in a firm tone and his eyes shone with determination.

…

Outside the Lost World Palace, ten years had passed by.

Ten years were only a short period of time for cultivators as secluded meditations always took a much longer time than that.

Within one of the inns in Xuan Wu City, there was a red-haired elderly cultivator sitting cross-legged in his room. His body had visible injuries, staining his clothes with blood. His face stiffened while his eyes blazed in anger!

Two months ago, he left from the third floor of the Lost World Palace after he successfully broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Yes, he was Jing Zhuo!

That year, Ning Fan parted with him at the Heaven Evading Ship to save Yin Suqiu. He, alone, arrived at Peng Lai Immortal Island first. Before he entered into the Lost World Tower, he hired a Harmonious Spirit Realm junior to be his messenger. Jing Zhuo wanted the messenger to pass a message to a person called ‘Zhou Ming’ that he had already entered the tower so that Zhou Ming would not be worried about him.  

Jing Zhuo had complete faith that Ning Fan would come because the latter was talented and skillful. Even if Ning Fan could not save Yin Suqiu, he would be able to protect himself. The only concern he had was how to console Ning Fan if Suqiu was really dead…

He then entered the tower thinking that the Harmonious Spirit Realm junior would remain loyal to him and faithfully execute his orders.

During his secluded meditation in the Lost World Tower, two unexpected events occurred that he was not aware of!

Firstly, he didn’t know that Ning Fan, who had gone all-out to save Suqiu, offended one of the most powerful forces of the Internal Endless Sea.

Secondly, he did not expect that the messenger that he hired would not even pass his message to Ning Fan. Instead, he imprinted Zhou Ming’s appearance on a jade slip and sold it to others, betraying Jing Zhuo.

It was all because of the powerful force Ning Fan offended - Demon Sealing Sect. It was from one of the seventy-two islands of the Internal Endless Sea!

The seventh elder of the sect, Eagle Crane Elder, who was a Late Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, set a bounty on Zhou Ming’s head. He was searching everywhere for his traces!

He even announced to the cultivators in the islands about the person he wanted to find, providing them Zhou Ming’s name and appearance. The reward for capturing Zhou Ming was 100000 immortal jade.

When the Harmonious Spirit Realm messenger noticed that the wanted person was exactly the person whom Jing Zhuo was looking for, he could not resist the temptation of the bounty, thus selling the information to the Eagle Crane Elder.

Ten years later, he ended his secluded meditation. Just as he left the tower, he was informed by his messenger that Zhou Ming did not appear at all in the Lost World Palace.

Jing Zhuo who was still unaware that his messenger had betrayed him let out a long sigh… He mournfully mumbled to himself, “Nothing in this world is everlasting. Even talented people like Suqiu and Ning Fan could not escape their unfortunate fate in this unfamiliar sea. It’s really a pity to lose them.”   

He decided to return to Yuen Country and improve the country to a Mid-Grade Cultivation Country using his identity as a Nascent Soul Realm expert!

However, before he could leave Peng Lai Immortal Island, he was ambushed by someone outside its vicinity! That ‘someone’ was a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert and he attacked Jing Zhuo without any reason!

Even though Jing Zhuo was already a Nascent Soul Realm expert, he did not have any chance to counterattack! At a critical moment, he quickly revealed a trace of his Green Phoenix Flame which managed to suppress the attacker, creating an opportunity for him to flee.

…

Outside the island, the Eagle Crane Elder’s face was filled with gloom. He delivered a slap on the Harmonious Spirit Realm messenger, fatal enough to kill him.

“Hmmph! This Harmonious Spirit Realm ant almost brought trouble to me! That Jing Zhuo possessed the ‘lesser flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame. Don’t tell me that he has relations to the Lost World Palace! The Lost World Palace is said to possess the ‘greater flame’ of the Green Phoenix Flame… Hehe. However, so what if he really is a member of the Lost World Palace… I’ve already planted the Grey Demon Seal on his body. There’s no way he can escape!”

“I have one thing that requires your help, seventh elder! After we capture this person and lure Zhou Ming out from hiding, please allow me to kill him!” The first elder brother spoke in a confident manner as if Zhou Ming was just a weak, feeble ant. Ten years ago, he was an Early Nascent Soul Realm cultivator who was a hair’s breadth away from advancing into the Mid Nascent Soul Realm. Now, he successfully made an advancement in his cultivation realm! In his mind, he thought that he alone was enough to kill Zhou Ming!

After 10 years, he still remembered the pain of the Immortal Execution Order which was casted by Zhou Ming. He vowed to himself that he would definitely repay him 100 times of the pain he had suffered!

“Good! Once we have him, he will all be yours! First things first, we need to take care of this Jing Zhuo… Let’s wait until he recovers. When he leaves thousands of li away from Peng Lai Immortal Island, I’ll capture him alive and search his soul and memories to find Zhou Ming’s whereabouts!”

A grimace distorted Eagle Crane Elder’s face. He did not even put Zhou Ming into his eyes.

Even if Zhou Ming fully recovered from the near-death injuries he suffered 10 years ago!

…

Jing Zhuo’s clothes was drenched in sweat as he tried to withstand the pain of his wounds when he was treating them.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain could be felt in his mind. His focus was diverted from his wounds, trying to sense the presence of a sudden intruder in his room.

Before he could do anything else,, a Nascent Soul Realm expert appeared behind him!

How did this person get past the Nascent Soul Realm defensive formation of the inn?!

Furthermore, this expert might be an Early Nascent Soul Realm expert on the surface but I can sense that his magic power almost touched the border of the Mid Nascent Soul Realm!

Jing Zhuo felt a massive threat from the presence of this person. He was even more dangerous than the Eagle Crane Elder!

What made him feel it hard to believe was that the person who intruded his room was not a living person. The way he travelled without inhaling a single breath was similar to a refined corpse!

It was his first time meeting such a mysteriously powerful expert in his entire life!

Don’t tell me that this person is on the same side of the Late Nascent Soul Realm expert that ambushed me earlier?

“Who are you?!” Jing Zhuo shouted coldly. A surge of primordial power circulated in his body. He placed his tongue between his teeth, preparing to sacrifice some of his blood essence to boost his power for teleportation.

A millisecond later, he felt his entire body freezing still together with the space around him!

“Freeze!”

The mysterious man lifted his index finger which was flickering with grey light, pointing at Jing Zhuo’s position. Countless invisible threads came out from nowhere and bounded Jing Zhuo’s four limbs, restricting him from making any movements!

The grey light on his finger was like a mixture of flame and ice!

Jing Zhuo was unable to move his body, let alone struggle to free himself!

A Body Sealing Technique casted with just a single finger!

His widened eyes were now filled with astonishment. He had no idea at all about the technique he had just witnessed and experienced.

His power is unfathomable!

Thinking that he was already in a hopeless situation, he tried to detonate himself in order to threaten the person and escape. Suddenly, the invisible strings vanished and his limbs were freed from their binds.

“Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Jing. It’s me…”

“It’s you? What do you mean by ‘it’s you’? Who are you?”

Jing Zhuo was bewildered by this person’s words.

Do I know this person? I don’t seem to know such a powerful expert in the past.

His expression hardened when he turned around and caught sight of the person’s appearance. He was literally petrified by his presence.

“Ning… Fellow Daoist Ning?! How come it’s you?!”

“Am I not welcomed here?” A wry smile formed on his face. Jing Zhuo’s primordial power was in disarray when Ning Fan stood before him. This would only happen whenever an Early Nascent Soul Realm expert was facing a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert. But… Ning Fan was also able to do it!

“I thought you were just going to form your Gold Core… How did you form your Nascent Soul too?! Moreover, this magic power… If I’m not mistaken, you are close to achieving the Mid Nascent Soul Realm! What have you exactly done for the past 10 years?! You just turned into a Nascent Soul Realm expert from just a Half-Step Gold Core Realm cultivator!”

Jing Zhuo ran through a thorough observation on Ning Fan and discovered that Ning Fan’s bone age increased by 320 years!

He is no longer a 20-year-old young man but a 340-year-old cultivator. Now, he is genuinely an old monster!

He grew 320 years in just 10 years in the real world… It’s 32 times faster than the time in the real world. Did he enter the fifth floor of the Lost World Tower?

According to the rules, only Spirit Severing Realm cultivators can enter the fifth floor. There’s no exceptions for that. Obviously, Ning Fan was not at that realm. In other words, he was a Fifth Revolution Pill Master?!

Fifth Revolution… This… This is impossible! I thought he was just a Fourth Revolution Pill Master! Since when did he level up his pill refining techniques?!

“You… *Cough*” Jing Zhuo had too many questions running through his mind. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, the internal injuries were aggravated, causing him to cough up blood.

“You are injured? This is…”

Ning Fan spread his spirit sense to examine Jing Zhuo’s blood. When he had the results, his expression turned serious. He placed his finger on Jing Zhuo’s body and forced out a trace of grey qi from within!

Eventually, he extinguished the qi with his power!

This grey qi is one of the techniques of the Demon Sealing Sect that is used to track down its enemies!

From the magic power in the qi, the caster seems to be a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert!

“Demon Sealing Sect!”

Ning Fan’s eyes flashed with murderous intent…

The cultivators from the Demon Sealing Sect really are disturbing flies. The only way to deal with them is to send them all to hell.

It should not be difficult to fight against a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert.

The indifferent look in his eyes only belonged to those who had great strength and power.

After achieving Early Nascent Soul Realm, his spirit sense reached Late Nascent Soul Realm. Not only did he gain more power, but he also gained access to more techniques and magical treasures that he could use.

For techniques, he could transform into a hundred zhang tall giant, perform Body Sealing with just a single finger, activate blood-red lightning rays, Three Swords of Nascent Soul and perform Grey Teleportation.  

For magical treasures, he could now use the Supreme Grade Magical Treasures and his new Immemorial Divine Weapon – Lightning Whip.

He was no longer the same ‘Ning Fan’ from 320 years ago!

Note :

Measurements :
a. li(里) = 500 m
b. zhang(丈) = 3.13 m
c. chi(尺) = 30.7 cm